Golf ball cleaner



April 30, 1963 R. E. SCANLON 3,087,189

GOLF BALL CLEANER Filed March 8, 1961 INVEN TOR.

ROBERT EUGENE SCANL 0N mmamdim ATTORNEY United States Patent Dfifice 3,087,189 Patented Apr. 30, 1963 3,087,189 GOLF BALL CLEANER Robert Eugene Scanlon, 107 Lindy Ave., East Providence, RI. Filed Mar. 8, 1961, Ser. No. 94,295 1 Claim. (Cl. 15513) This invention relates to golf ball cleaners and more particularly to a moistener in which a body of absorbent material, shaped to receive the circumference of a golf ball, is removably secured to a plastic squeeze bottle in a manner to receive liquid from the bottle.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved self-contained golf ball cleaner capable of attachment to a golf bag.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a moistener capable of use as a golf ball cleaner, which is non-breakable and superior to prior art moisteners 1n overcoming undesirable liquid leakage.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball cleaner constructed of a mere three inexpensive cooperating parts comprising an economic plastic article of manufacture.

The moistener provided according to the present invention includes a squeeze bottle or compressible container for holding a quantity of liquid, a closure for said container having an orifice therein communicating with the space in said container, said orifice providing for a limited flow of the liquid upon compression of the compressible container, said closure having a shape to accommodate the surface of a golf ball, and a body of absorbent material lining said shape and adapted to receive liquid from said orifice.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in part and be pointed out in part in the following specification and claim.

In the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like parts:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the new and improved golf ball cleaner shown in inverted position.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along line 33 of FIGURE 2.

As appears from the drawings, the golf ball cleaner comprises a container 10, in the form of a hollow body member provided with :a neck 11 having external threads 12 and an internal opening 13. In a preferred form, the container, the neck and the threading are constructed as an integral unit of a flexible resin, such as a suitable polyethylene plastic. In this form the container is of the squeeze bottle type wherein the sides of the container may be flexed inwardly to force the liquid inside of the container out through the internal opening 13 in neck 11. A projection 9 is integrally formed on container and is provided with an orifice 8.

A closure member or cap 14 is provided with a neck receiving portion which is internally threaded with threads that rotatively cooperate with threads 12 on neck 11. Closure member or cap 14 is also provided with a circumferential chamber wall 15 and an orifice 16 which communicates with the opening 13 in neck 11.

A pad of absorbent material 17, such as a natural or synthetic sponge material, preferably having the shape of circumferential chamber wall 15, is secured to chamber wall 15, by means of glue or plastic solvent, and in communication with orifice 16, so that it may absorb liquid flowing through said orifice.

If, as in the form shown in the drawings, the container is formed of a flexible material the size of the orifice 16 is such that liquid will not flow therethrough until the container 10 is flexed inwardly, thereby avoiding undesirable leakage when the device is inverted (as shown in FIGURE 2) or inadvertently dropped or upset.

In contemplated use, container 10 will be filled with plain water or Water provided with a detergent or cleaning agent such as soap. Cap 14 is remov-ably secured to container 10 through threads cooperating with threads 12 on neck 11. Container 10 will be secured to a golf bag or caddy cart by means of string or cord passing through orifice 8 and tied to the bag or cart. The normal carrying position of container 10 is illustrated in FIG- URE 2.

Container 10 may be squeezed to force liquid from container 10 through neck opening 13, and orifice 16, whereby sponge 17 is moistened. A golf ball may be rotated against sponge 17 in an action which will clean the circumference or surface of the golf ball.

Having shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention by way of example, it should be realized that structural changes could be made and other examples given without departing from either the spirit or scope of this invention.

What I claim is:

A golf ball cleaner comprising a flexible container of substantially uniform cross sectional area throughout, said container having an externally threaded neck portion formed integrally therewith and arranged to project outwardly from said container, a closure member of a cross sectional area equal to the cross sectional area of said container and having one surface thereof engageable with said container, said closure member having an internally threaded recess formed in the central portion of said surface for receiving said neck portion to secure said closure member to said container, a circumferential chamber formed in another surface of said closure member opposite to said first mentioned surface, said chamber being spaced from said recess, said closure member having an orifice therein communicating with said recess and chamber, a cup-shaped body of absorbent material having a configuration complementary to that of said chamber secured within and lining the surface of said chamber, said absorbent material terminating at said other surface of said closure member for receiving therein a golf ball to be cleaned.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,710,816 Evans Apr. 30, 1929 2,608,705 Dufl Sept. 2, 1952 2,622,257 Lemonds et a1 Dec. 23, 1952 2,624,900 Smith Jan. 13, 1953 2,820,234 Rigney Jan. 21, 1958 

